Reshu was sharpening his blade under the pale glow of the moon when she appeared again. She emerged from the shadows, her cloak swaying gently with the breeze. Unlike the last encounter, she didn't seem as calculating—there was a hint of softness, even hesitance, in the way she approached.
"You have a habit of interrupting me," Reshu said, his voice as calm and cutting as a blade's edge, his focus still on the whetstone.
She tilted her head slightly, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You don't exactly make yourself hard to find. Always brooding under the moonlight, looking like you're part of some tragic ballad."
Reshu stopped sharpening and looked up, his gaze steady and unreadable. "Speak your reason, or leave."
"Fine," she sighed dramatically, stepping closer, though her gaze danced nervously toward his sword. She tapped her chin in mock thought. "How about...I ask for your help, and you agree without threatening to kill me?"
"I don't help anyone," he said.
"I'm not anyone."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a small laugh. "Fair enough. Then I'll just skip to the part where I tell you you're being lied to by the very people you serve."
Her words lingered in the air, bold yet tinged with something that intrigued him. For a long moment, he simply stared at her, his silence heavier than any words could be. Finally, he sheathed his sword, the fragments returning to their resting place.
"Speak."
Reshu's expression didn't shift, but there was a brief pause before he returned to his blade. "Explain."
She exhaled, her playful air giving way to something more serious. "You don't know what they've taken from you—your past, your family, everything that made you who you are. And now they use you to uphold their empire of lies."
Reshu's eyes flickered up to meet hers, sharp and piercing. "And you know the truth?"
"Yes," she said, folding her arms, though the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her confidence. "But you'll have to follow me if you want to hear it."
Reshu stood, towering over her, his presence overwhelming. "Why should I?"
Her playful smile returned, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Because, deep down, you already know something's wrong. You're not just a weapon, Reshu. You're more than that. And you deserve to know the truth."
He studied her for a long moment, his face unreadable, his silence stretching into discomfort. Finally, he turned away, adjusting the scarf around his neck.
"Lead," he said simply.
Her eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn't expected him to agree so quickly. "Just like that? No threats? No ominous warnings?"
He glanced at her, his words as heavy and deliberate as always. "Do not waste my time."